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sourcing and traceability
this coffee was sourced in collaboration with qima coffee, as a part of their cofermentions series coffees. qima has a unique place in the industry where they are fully integrated from tree to cup. they own and work with their farms all the way from planting seeds, harvesting, and processing to importing, exporting, and finishing. they also have their own cafe in london. truly, tree to cup.
processing details
this coffee is hand-picked at peak-ripeness. it undergoes an initial 10-12 hour depulping and fermenting, where it is then transferred to a bioreactor with starter cultures, yeast, and ripe watermelon. the bioreactor is hermetically sealed, and nitrogen is introduced to create an oxygen-free environment, where the coffee is fermented further until key parameters such as temperature, pH, and Brix levels are met. once parameters are met, the coffee is removed, and then dried.
varietal / cultivar
castillo is a varietal that has been around since 2005, a cross between the well-known caturra and timor varietals. it is a very common choice for many coffee producers in colombia, and it is a crucial coffee for those producers as it is very high-yielding and disease resistant compared to others, leading to plentiful harvests without much worry. because of its abundance and low-difficulty, in modern specialty coffee it is an easy choice for cofermentations and experimental, funky processings.